An Ohio man is fighting to keep a street he accidentally bought for $5,000 over claims the city is trying to take it from him.
Jason Fauntleroy won a vacant lot in Trenton four years ago for around $5,000 at a Butler County Sheriff’s Office auction.
Remarkably, he walked away from the auction with the ownership of the entire street as well as his plot – with the street also boasting five other homes.
According to WCPO, the city started to reclaim the land that he bought through eminent domain.
Fauntleroy told the outlet he has been having a ‘nightmare’ with the city of Trenton over the land.
He has claimed he isn’t being offered what he deserves for it, with only the lot of land he originally intended to purchase – rather than the full street.
Jason Fauntleroy won a vacant lot in Trenton four years ago for around $5,000 at a Butler County Sheriff’s Office auction
Remarkably, he walked away from the auction with the ownership of the entire street as well as his plot
Fauntleroy told the outlet: ‘They shut me out. They blocked my calls. It’s hard to even get through anybody.’
Trenton City Manager Marcos Nichols said they did so as a result of Fauntleroy’s behavior and conversations over the street.
Nichols told the outlet that it was also not entirely clear just how he has ended up owning the full street.
He said: ‘I’m not sure how that occurs other than it was a private drive that was created through a homeowner’s association.
‘The homeowner’s association was responsible for maintaining that property and upkeeping it.’
Nichols said the goal was to convert the private drive into a public roadway so the city are then responsible for maintaining it.
The map above details in blue exactly what land Fauntleroy owns, which is essentially a large driveway
He has claimed he isn’t being offered what he deserves for it, with only the lot of land he originally intended to purchase, seen here
When asked by the outlet why only the lot was appraised and not the street, Nichols said: ‘I cannot speak to the appraised value.’
Fauntleroy added: ‘Treat people fair, do honest work. Don’t just take advantage of someone because they don’t have the means of getting an attorney.’
According to Ohio State law owners whose properties are taken by eminent domain are due ‘just compensation’.
That is determined to be the fair market value of the piece of property.
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